Emotional Association Bias Modification Training in Individuals With IGD

NCT ID: NCT04068064

Last Updated: 2022-07-05

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 87 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2019-08-23
• Study Completion Date: 2020-02-28

Brief Summary

This project aims to investigate (1) the efficacy of emotional association bias modification (EABM) training on internet gaming disorder (IGD); (2) the underlying neural mechanisms of such efficacy

Detailed Description

As with the efficacy, the experiment aims to test whether EABM training will reduce positive emotional association bias towards gaming, compulsive choice of gaming pictures, cue-induced craving for gaming, the severity of gaming behaviors in individuals with IGD.

As with the underlying neural mechanisms, the experiment aims to test whether EABM training will alter the activation of reward circuits in response to gaming pictures, the activation of executive control network (mainly refering to the prefrontal cortex) regarding regulation ability for craving and response inhibition ability.

Conditions

Internet Gaming Disorder

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: BASIC_SCIENCE
• Blinding Strategy: DOUBLE

Study Groups

EABM training group

about 40 individuals with IGD will be randomly assigned to the EABM training group

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

EABM training

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

The training aims at associating gaming pictures with negative words and pictures of healthy activities with positive words. Gaming pictures are always presented with a pair of negative words. Pictures of healthy activities are always presented with a pair of positive words. Each picture is presented with a fixed pair of words. Participants will be instructed to select one word to get the most monetary reward. Specifically, in response to each gaming picture, selecting one word will have a 70% chance to get a monetary reward and the other word will have a 30% chance to get a monetary reward. A similar rationale applies to the pictures of healthy activities. The reward setting will help consolidate target associations.

Each training session includes 300 times/trials of each type of association, presented in pseudorandom way. The whole training includes 6 training sessions. Participants will receive one training session every days.

Control training group

about another 40 individuals with IGD will be randomly assigned to the control training group

Group Type: PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

sham training

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

In the control group, neutral words instead of emotional words are used. All other settings are the same with those in the intervention group

Interventions

EABM training

The training aims at associating gaming pictures with negative words and pictures of healthy activities with positive words. Gaming pictures are always presented with a pair of negative words. Pictures of healthy activities are always presented with a pair of positive words. Each picture is presented with a fixed pair of words. Participants will be instructed to select one word to get the most monetary reward. Specifically, in response to each gaming picture, selecting one word will have a 70% chance to get a monetary reward and the other word will have a 30% chance to get a monetary reward. A similar rationale applies to the pictures of healthy activities. The reward setting will help consolidate target associations.

Each training session includes 300 times/trials of each type of association, presented in pseudorandom way. The whole training includes 6 training sessions. Participants will receive one training session every days.

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

sham training

In the control group, neutral words instead of emotional words are used. All other settings are the same with those in the intervention group

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

1. the 5th edition of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5 ) recommended diagnosis of Internet gaming disorder :

the scores of the 9 items of DSM-5 recommended diagnosis for Internet gaming disorder ≥ 5.

engagement in popular Internet games (e.g. Arena of Valor, League of Legends and Player Unknown's Battle Grounds) for over 20 hours per week for a minimum of 12 months.

2. the scores of the Young-Internet addiction Test ≥ 50

Exclusion Criteria

1. current or history of use of illegal substances and other addictions;

2. current or history of psychiatric or neurological illness;

3. current use of psychotropic medications.

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 30 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

Beijing Normal University

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Jin-tao Zhang

Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Jintao Zhang, phD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Beijing Normal University

Locations

State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University

Beijing, Beijing Municipality, China

Countries

China

References

Snagowski J, Wegmann E, Pekal J, Laier C, Brand M. Implicit associations in cybersex addiction: Adaption of an Implicit Association Test with pornographic pictures. Addict Behav. 2015 Oct;49:7-12. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2015.05.009. Epub 2015 May 16.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 26026385 (View on PubMed)

Wu L, Xu J, Song K, Zhu L, Zhou N, Xu L, Liu G, Wang Z, Wang R, Qin S, Fang X, Zhang J, Potenza MN. Emotional bias modification weakens game-related compulsivity and reshapes frontostriatal pathways. Brain. 2022 Dec 19;145(12):4210-4221. doi: 10.1093/brain/awac267.

Reference Type: DERIVED

PMID: 35861265 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

EABMT_IGD

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id